Damning FBI report concludes that Alec Baldwin DID pull the trigger on set of Rust, killing cinematographer and injuring director despite repeatedly claiming he did NOT – as police in Santa Fe say they cannot rule out criminal charges
- A new FBI report has concluded that the gun would only have shot a bullet if the trigger had been pulled
- Testing revealed that Baldwin’s claims that he had been playing with the hammer were not enough to get the gun to fire
- Baldwin has consistently denied that he pulled the trigger on the gun, which was supposed to be a prop
- The actor, 64, says he’s cooperating with police and said he is hoping there will not be criminal charges
- Hayla Hutchins’ death is still under investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office
A damning report from the FBI has concluded that Alec Baldwin did pull the trigger of the gun that killed cinematographer on the set of Rust – despite him repeatedly stating that he did not.
The actor, 64, accidentally shot dead Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the set of his film ‘Rust’ in October 2021, and injured director Joel Souza in the incident in Bonanza Creek Ranch, Santa Fe.
Baldwin has consistently denied that he pulled the trigger on the gun, which was supposed to be a prop, but a new report concluded that it could not have been fired unless the trigger was pulled.
It means that he could still face criminal charges for the incident, with Santa Fe Sheriff’s department confirming that the case will be passed to the District Attorney.
Authorities said yesterday that they are waiting on the actors phone records, and the DA has been working with Suffolk County Police in New York and Baldwin’s attorneys to acquire them.
The records will be reviewed by detectives, and a case file will then be sent to the DA to determine if any charges will be filed.
The FBI forensic report was examining all of the areas of the fatal accident as part of a broader investigation to see if any criminal charges can be brought.
Part of the report found that the revolver, a single-action .45 Colt caliber F.lli Pietta, could not have been fired without someone pulling the trigger.
A new FBI report claims that Baldwin must have pulled the trigger to fire the shot which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust last year
The actor, pictured with Hutchins and director Joel Souza, also injured Souza in the same incident with the .45 Colt
Baldwin has consistently denied that he pulled the trigger on the gun, which was supposed to be a prop, but a new report concluded that it could not have been fired unless the trigger was pulled
They made the decision by conducting an accidental discharge test, but it is unclear if this was with the exact same gun or an identical copy, according to ABC News.
It states that the gun, when working properly, will not release a bullet and primer at the same time just by someone fiddling with the hammer.
Baldwin previously claimed that is what he was doing when the gun fired, in an interview with ABC last year.
He said that he had pulled back the hammer and posed with it for the camera while Halyna coached him on the positioning.
The actor said that he released it, and it fired without him pulling the trigger, with Baldwin adding ‘I did not pull the trigger.’
However the FBI report found that the action could set of a gunshot sound without discharging a bullet.
The report could still lead to criminal charges against the actor and others involved in the accidental shooting, with Santa Fe cops still investigating Hutchin’s death.
Those FBI reports were immediately forwarded to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator OMI, who then passed them to the Sheriffs Office on Wednesday.
Speaking earlier this year Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told the “Today” show that criminal charges could not be ruled out.
He said: ‘It’s too early to rule anything out right now, I don’t think anybody’s off the hook when it comes to criminal charges.
‘I’ve said this before: I think there was complacency on the set. There was disorganization and a degree of negligence — whether that rises to a criminal level, that will be up to the district attorney.’